The 635PS Alpina B5 S is the fast wagon final boss

That’s courtesy of an uprated version of the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 found in the already extraordinary Alpina B5. Upgrades include an ECU tune and intake, for a figure to rival the mighty BMW M5 CS. Performance is fairly serious as you’d expect, with 0-62mph coming up in 3.4 seconds for the saloon and 3.6 seconds for the Touring. 

Both will crack the double tonne on a bow wave of howling V8 soul. Chassis enhancements are minor, with stiffening up front for improved steering feel, a slight drop in ride height and lighter, more heat-resistant braking hardware.

Alpina is generally all about subtlety where M is more in your face, so the visual enhancements are deftly applied here. Aside from badging, you get ‘B5 GT’ on the 20-inch wheels, there’s also a subtle splitter with canards. At the back there’s a lip for the saloon and a small stylised diffuser for both variants.

Just 250 of these are to be made, with the Touring and saloon split undefined, this is surely to be a modern classic from the word go. If you want the M3 Touring but can’t get over the nutcracker seats and that schnoz, one of these could be well worth a look…